Configuring Features, Templates, Services, and Users

After you install Cisco Unified IP Phones in your network, configure their network settings, and add them to Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you must use the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration application to configure telephony features, optionally modify phone templates, set up services, and assign users.

This chapter provides an overview of these configuration and setup procedures. Cisco Unified Communications Manager documentation provides detailed instructions for these procedures.

Telephony Features Available for the Cisco Unified IP Phone

After you add Cisco Unified IP Phones to Cisco Unified Communications Manager, you can add functionality to the phones. Table 5-1 includes a list of supported telephony features, many of which you can configure using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration. The Reference column lists Cisco Unified Communications Manager and other documentation that contains configuration procedures and related information.

For information about using most of these features on the phone, refer to Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE Phone Guide. For a comprehensive listing of features on the phone, refer to Cisco Unified IP Phone Features A-Z.

Note Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration also provides several service parameters that you can use to configure various telephony functions. For more information about service parameters and the functions that they control, refer to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide.

Table 5-1 Telephony Features for the Cisco Unified IP Phone

Feature

Description

Configuration Reference

Abbreviated dialing

Allows users to speed dial a phone number by entering an assigned index code (1-99) on the phone keypad.

Allows you to override Call Forward All (CFA) in cases where the CFA target places a call to the CFA initiator. This feature allows the CFA target to reach the CFA initiator for important calls. The override works whether the CFA target phone number is internal or external.

Enables managers and their assistants to work together more effectively by providing a call-routing service, enhancements to phone capabilities for the manager, and desktop interfaces that are primarily used by the assistant.

•DND Incoming Call Alert—Choose the type of alert to play on a phone for incoming calls when DND is active. This parameter is located on both the Common Phone Profile page and the Phone configuration page (Phone page value takes precedence).

Allows the user to move a connected call from an active state to a held state.

•Requires no configuration, unless you want to use music on hold. See "Music-on-Hold" in this table for information.

•See also: "Hold Reversion" in this table.

Hold Reversion

Limits the amount of time that a call can be on hold before reverting back to the phone that put the call on hold and alerting the user.

Reverting calls are distinguished from incoming calls by a single ring (or beep, depending on the new call indicator setting for the line). This notification repeats at intervals if not resumed.

A call that triggers Hold Reversion also displays an animated icon in the call bubble and a brief message on the status line.

You can configure call focus priority to favor incoming or reverting calls.

For more information about configuring this feature, refer to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Features and Services Guide, "Hold Reversion" chapter.

Hunt Group

Provides load sharing for calls to a main directory number. A hunt group contains a series of directory numbers that can answer the incoming calls. When the first directory number in the hunt group is busy, the system hunts in a predetermined sequence for the next available directory number in the group and directs the call to that phone.

Allows users to log out of a hunt group and temporarily block calls from ringing their phone when they are not available to take calls. Logging out of hunt groups does not prevent non-hunt group calls from ringing their phone.

Allows a user to monitor the call state of another directory number (DN) listed in call logs, speed-dials, and corporate directories. The Busy Lamp Field (BLF) for the DN displays the call state.

For more information, refer to Cisco Unified Communications Manager Features and Services Guide, "Presence" chapter.

Private Line Automated Ringdown (PLAR)

The Cisco Unified Communications Manager administrator can configure a phone number that the Cisco Unified IP Phone dials as soon as the handset goes off hook. This can be useful for phones that are designated for calling emergency or "hotline" numbers.

Allows users to use the QRT softkey on a phone to submit information about problem phone calls. QRT can be configured for either of two user modes, depending upon the amount of user interaction desired with QRT.

•Allows secure phones to place conference calls using a secured conference bridge.

•As new participants are added by using Confrn, Join, cBarge, Barge softkeys or MeetMe conferencing, the secure call icon displays as long as all participants use secure phones.

•The Conference List displays the security level of each conference participant. Initiators can remove non-secure participants from the Conference List. (Non-initiators can add or remove conference participants if the AdvanceAdhocConference parameter is set.)

For more information about security, see the "Overview of Supported Security Features" section.

Allows you to use the Cisco Unified IP Phone Services Configuration menu in Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration to define and maintain the list of phone services to which users can subscribe.

Allows a supervisor to silently monitor an active call. The supervisor cannot be heard by either party on the call. The user might hear an intermittent tone (beep tone) during a call when it is being monitored.

Note The intercom feature is disabled when a call is being monitored or recorded.

For more information, refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Features and Services Guide, "Monitoring and Recording" chapter.

Configuring Corporate Directories

Cisco Unified Communications Manager uses a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory to store authentication and authorization information about users of Cisco Unified Communications Manager applications that interface with Cisco Unified Communications Manager. Authentication establishes the users' rights to access the system. Authorization identifies the telephony resources that a user is permitted to use, such as a specific telephone extension.

To install and set up these features, refer to the Installing and Configuring the Cisco Unified Customer Directory Configuration Plugin document.This document guides you through the configuration process for integrating Cisco Unified Communications Manager with Microsoft Active Directory and Netscape Directory Server.

After the LDAP directory configuration completes, users can use the Corporate Directory service on your Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE to look up users in the corporate directory.

Configuring Personal Directory

Personal Directory consists of the following features:

•Personal Address Book (PAB)

•Personal Fast Dials (Fast Dials)

•Address Book Synchronization Tool (TABSynch)

Users can access Personal Directory features by these methods:

•From a web browser—Users can access the PAB and Fast Dials features from the Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Options web pages

•From the Cisco Unified IP Phone—Users can choose Directories > Personal Directory to access the PAB and Fast Dials features from their phones

•From a Microsoft Windows application—Users can use the TABSynch tool to synchronize their PABs with Microsoft Outlook.

To configure Personal Directory from a web browsers, users must access their User Options web pages. You must provide users with a URL and login information.

Modifying Phone Button Templates

Phone button templates let you assign speed dials and features to programmable line buttons.

While both SCCP and SIP phones support speed dial buttons, support for call features on buttons depends on the call control protocol:

•On SCCP phones, call handling features that can be assigned to buttons include call forward, redial, hold, conferencing, and so on.

•On SIP phones, only the Do Not Disturb (DND) feature can be assigned to a button.

Ideally, you modify templates before registering phones on the network. In this way, you can access customized phone button template options from Cisco Unified Communications Manager during registration.

The default template that ships with the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7941G/7941G-GE uses buttons 1 and 2 for lines. The default template that ships with the 7961G/7961G-GE uses buttons 1 and 2 for lines and buttons 3 through 8 as speed dial.

Configuring Softkey Templates

Using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, you can manage softkeys associated with applications that are supported by the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE. Cisco Unified Communications Manager supports two types of softkey templates: standard and nonstandard. Standard softkey templates include Standard User, Standard Feature, Standard Assistant, Standard Manager, and Standard Shared Mode Manager. An application that supports softkeys can have one or more standard softkey templates associated with it. You can modify a standard softkey template by making a copy of it, giving it a new name, and making updates to that copied softkey template. You can also modify a nonstandard softkey template.

Setting Up Services

The Services button on the Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE gives users access to Cisco Unified IP Phone Services. You can also assign services to the programmable buttons on the phone (refer to Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE Phone Guide for more information). These services comprise XML applications that enable the display of interactive content with text and graphics on the phone. Examples of services include local movie times, stock quotes, and weather reports.

Before a user can access any service,

•You must use Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration to configure available services.

After you configure these services, verify that your users have access to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager User Options web-based application, from which they can select and subscribe to configured services. See the "How Users Subscribe to Services and Configure Phone Features" section for a summary of the information that you must provide to end users.

Note To configure extension mobility services for users, refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Features and Services Guide.

Adding Users to Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Adding users to Cisco Unified Communications Manager allows you to display and maintain information about users and allows each user to perform these tasks:

•Access the corporate directory and other customized directories from a Cisco Unified IP Phone.

•Create a personal directory.

•Set up speed dial and call forwarding numbers.

•Subscribe to services that are accessible from a Cisco Unified IP Phone.

You can add users to Cisco Unified Communications Manager using either of these methods:

Refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration Guide for more information about adding users. Refer to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager System Guide for details about user information.

•To add users in batches, use the Bulk Administration Tool. This method also enables you to set an identical default password for all users.

Managing the User Options Web Pages

From the User Options web page, users can customize and control several phone features and settings. For detailed information about the User Options web pages, refer to Cisco Unified IP Phone 7961G/7961G-GE and 7941G/7941G-GE Phone Guide.

Giving Users Access to the User Options Web Pages

Before a user can access the User Options web pages, you must use Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration to add the user to a standard Cisco Unified Communications Manager end user group: choose User Management > User Groups.